NBC has fired news anchor Matt Lauer over sexual harassment allegations by an employee, the network’s president for news said in a memo to his staff Wednesday.
The “Today” show host was canned for “inappropriate workplace conduct,” according to NBC Chairman Andy Lack.
“On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment,” Lack wrote.
“While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over twenty years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident,” he wrote.
“Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender.
“We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. But we will face it together as a news organization – and do it in as transparent a manner as we can. To that end, Noah [NBC News President Noah Oppenheim] and I will be meeting with as many of you as possible throughout the day today to answer your questions.”
Veteran radio host and writer Garrison Keillor confirmed Wednesday that he was fired by his longtime broadcast home, Minnesota Public Radio, over accusations of improper behavior.
After confirming the news in an email to the Associated Press, Keillor issued a follow-up statement saying he was terminated over “a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard.” However, he did not elaborate.
MPR issued a statement from communications director Angie Andresen on its website Wednesday announcing it would “end its business relationship with Keillor’s media companies effective immediately.” That includes ending distribution and broadcast of The Writer's Almanac, a daily syndicated program that Keillor continued to write and produce, in addition to rebroadcasts of The Best of A Prairie Home Companion.
. @SenWarren has no shame. Just like she did at Harvard, she's still trying to get ahead with claims of Native American heritage that doesn't exist. pic.twitter.com/qU3PQuYlTU— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) November 28, 2017
If I say I can't in good conscience support a politician who supports abortion on demand some will cheer me on.— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) November 28, 2017
If I say I can't in good conscience support a politician who is credibly accused of child molestation and sexual assault some of those same people will attack me.
Prince Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and fifth in line to the throne, is engaged to Meghan Markle, his American girlfriend, the royal family said on Monday.
The prince, 33, and Ms. Markle, 36, will marry in the spring, a statement from Clarence House added.
Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s engagement underscores recent shifts in the British monarchy. They are part of a new generation of royals eager to project themselves as modern, inclusive and down-to-earth. This latest set of royals, who include the duke and duchess of Cambridge — Prince Harry’s elder brother, William, and his sister-in-law, Catherine — have in recent years tried to connect better with the public.
Prince Harry's kids will be Americans. What if one grows up to be president and is in line for the throne at the same time? Brits are playing long-ball here, but it's a smart move. They want America back and this is how they'll do it.— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) November 27, 2017
.@NancyPelosi: Accused Congressman Conyers is an "icon" in our country. #MTP pic.twitter.com/4QlKKJTIJP— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 26, 2017
I'm no Roy Moore defender, to put it mildly. But for those unable to comprehend why many conservative voters are willing to stand by him, look no further than Pelosi's MTP performance today. Many GOP voters see Dems as ruthless defenders of power & are sick of double standards.— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 26, 2017
Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Gov. Mark Dayton’s line-item veto of the Legislature’s operating budget, declining to referee a political dispute between two co-equal branches of government that it said could resolve the issue themselves.
The 5-1 decision handed the Democratic governor a major legal victory as he seeks to roll back Republican-backed tax breaks and other measures he opposed but signed into law anyway this spring as part of a new state budget. And it left the Legislature on uncertain financial footing. Dayton welcomed the ruling while GOP lawmakers expressed dismay.
The ruling overturned a lower court decision that deemed Dayton’s action unconstitutional. But the high court said the state constitution does not allow the courts to order funding for the Legislature without an appropriation. And it said the Legislature has the authority to tap enough money to continue operating — at least $26 million and up to $40 million — until it reconvenes Feb. 20. So it rejected the argument that Dayton violated the constitution by effectively abolishing the Legislature.
The majority opinion acknowledges there is a serious question about whether Gov. Dayton is attempting to unconstitutionally coerce the legislature, but decides that issue needs to be resolved between the other branches.— Harry Niska (@HarryNiska) November 16, 2017
A TV host and sports broadcaster on Thursday accused Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) of kissing and groping her without her consent in 2006.
Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of groping her, without her consent, while she was asleep and provided a photo as evidence.
The incident happened in December 2006, she said, when she and Franken, then a comedian, were on a USO Tour to "entertain our troops."
Franken in a statement apologized for his actions.
It was a pattern of behavior; it included an alleged violent assault; the women involved had far more credible evidence than many of the most notorious accusations that have come to light in the past five weeks. But Clinton was not left to the swift and pitiless justice that today’s accused men have experienced. Rather, he was rescued by a surprising force: machine feminism. The movement had by then ossified into a partisan operation, and it was willing—eager—to let this friend of the sisterhood enjoy a little droit de seigneur.
As arranged marriages go, it’s hard to imagine one working out better than what the Twins experienced in 2017.
Holdover manager Paul Molitor didn’t just find a way to coexist with the new analytically savvy front-office combination of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. Molitor navigated a historic turnaround that saw the Twins go from 103 losses to a 26-win improvement and their first postseason appearance in seven years.
For that, the Hall of Fame player was named American League manager of the year on Tuesday. Voting was conducted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
“I still think there’s value in people that have history and have some old-school thoughts as well as integrating the new,” said Molitor, 61. “I think the resources we added this year certainly affected my pregame preparation, things that I thought about and also how to probably manage in-game. I still use some of the old tools and I still trust my eyes and my gut, as managers like to say, but I think the layers that we have are helpful.”
Molitor received 18 of 30 first-place votes to outpoll runner-up Terry Francona, who led the Cleveland Indians to 102 wins and their second straight AL Central crown, and A.J. Hinch of the World Series-winning Houston Astros. Francona received 11 first-place votes and Hinch one to finish a close second (112-90) to his former Milwaukee Brewers teammate.
The gunman who killed four people and wounded at least 10 others, including two children, in Northern California Tuesday tried to access rooms at an elementary school to shoot more kids as part of a "bizarre and murderous rampage," police said at a press conference Tuesday night.
The shooter was killed by police after he opened fire at multiple “random” locations near Rancho Tehama Elementary School in Corning early Tuesday.
Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said that one of the victims was a woman the gunman stabbed in January.
School officials heard shots being fired about a quarter-mile away and the school went into lockdown mode, Johnston said. He added the incident "could have been much worse if it wasn't for the quick thinking" of the school's staff, who put the school in immediate lockdown mode without instruction from police.
Johnston noted it was "monumental" that school workers took action when they did, because he believes they saved the lives of countless children.
The assistant sheriff said the gunman rammed his vehicle into a school fence, then walked onto school grounds with a semi-automatic rifle while wearing a protective vest.
After being unable to access classrooms due to the lockdown, it's believed the gunman became "frustrated" and went back to his car, and began shooting at people while driving, according to police.
I wonder how much healthier a place we’d be in as a society today if Bill Clinton had resigned in shame back in 1998.— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) November 10, 2017
Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won the Virginia governor’s race in a blowout Tuesday, fending off a potential gut punch for his party and giving Democrats a badly needed jolt of momentum ahead of the 2018 midterms.
Democrats had grown nervous about the race, fearing a devastating loss that could deal a blow to the party's momentum. But that anxiety gave way to celebration as Northam cruised to victory and Democrats took the New Jersey governor's mansion and posted gains in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie by nearly 9 points in the race to succeed Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), in what has become the only competitive statewide race of the year. Northam’s win gives Democrats their first major victory since President Trump took office after a string of high-profile special election defeats in GOP districts earlier this year.
"Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for. Don’t forget, Republicans won 4 out of 4 House seats, and with the economy doing record numbers, we will continue to win, even bigger than before!" Trump wrote.
It’s as simple as this: God is sovereign, and every good and perfect gift comes from Him. That includes changed hearts. It includes comfort that only He can provide. It includes the courage to be the “good guy with the gun” who can (and, reports suggest, yesterday did) stop a rampage in its tracks. It includes the clear mind to consider and enact policies that might make a difference.
So, yes, if you’re not praying and thinking in response to mass murders like the attack on the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, your response isn’t as effective as it could be. If there’s one thing that’s clear from the spate of mass killings in the United States, it’s that we need God to move.
At least 26 people were killed in Texas, with many more wounded, after a gunman opened fire at a church outside San Antonio on Sunday, the state's governor confirmed.
Multiple sources speaking to Fox News identified the gunman as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley. The mass shooting unfolded at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, which is about 30 miles southeast of San Antonio. Officials said it's unclear whether Kelley killed himself or was fatally shot by police.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said up to 27 people were killed and "many more" wounded after a man walked into the church around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and opened fire at the crowd of people.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a press conference Sunday evening that the victims range in age from 5 to 72 years old. Another official said approximately 20 others were transported to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to "very severe."
Sunday's shooting is the deadliest church shooting in modern U.S. history. It is also, according to Abbott, the deadliest in the history of Texas.
Bowe Bergdahl received a dishonorable discharge from the US Army, but will avoid prison time for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy after abandoning his outpost in Afghanistan in 2009, a military judge ruled Friday.
The judge ordered that Bergdahl's rank be reduced from sergeant to private. Additionally, Bergdahl will be required to pay a $1,000 fine from his salary for the next 10 months.
"Sgt. Bergdahl has looked forward to today for a long time," Eugene Fidell, Bergdahl's civilian attorney, said at a news conference after the proceedings.
"As everyone knows, he was a captive of the Taliban for nearly five years, and three more years have elapsed while the legal process unfolded. He has lost nearly a decade of his life."
So the judge went easy on Bergdahl to go after Trump. He all but said so earlier in the week. That's wrong. pic.twitter.com/dXDNMGPwDa— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) November 3, 2017
NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2017
From laughingstock to lift off.
George Springer and the Houston Astros rocketed to the top of the baseball galaxy Wednesday night, winning the first World Series championship in franchise history by romping past the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7.
Playing for a city still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, and wearing an H Strong logo on their jerseys, the Astros brought home the prize that had eluded them since they started out in 1962 as the Colt .45s.
